Okay. I am going to be honest and say I am pretty sure that Singapore Rice is not from Singapore. In fact I will also be honest and say it magically appeared out of nowhere in Pakistan in the early 2000s. I first had at a dinner sometime in 2005 or 2006 and suddenly it was at almost ever dinner I went to. When the opportunity arose my mother had me write it down (yes at a dinner party) so that I too could jump on the Singapore Rice bandwagon. And I did.
Clearly my recipe writing skills have improved with time because the recipe I cooked off back then reads roughly as follows.
"Cook rice. Season. Stir fry noodles with vegetables. Cook boneless chicken and add ketchup and hot sauce. Layer and serve. Optional: Sauce and Baghaar"
I clearly had no inkling back then that food blogging was in my future. Although that is an adequate summary of the process, a recipe it is not! So here my friends is the properly written recipe and you will find in the recipes notes ideas for tweaking the flavour to your personal liking.
Before I proceed I am also going to say a controversial thing which is if the carbs on carb throw you off I think it is still an immensely successful dish with either rice or noodles.
What goes in Singaporean Rice:
This multi layered dish has the following components:-
- Long grained basmati, lightly seasoned
- A layer of noodles that have a Hakka Chow Mein flavour profile
- A sweet and spicy chicken with a little bit of sauce
- A baghaar (tempering) of crunchy garlic and green chilies
- A spicy chili mayo drizzle
It is an unusual combination for sure, but a winning one.
Can I make it ahead of time?
Yes. If you are planning on serving it at a dinner party then you can make each component (except the baghaar) ahead of time and reheat then assemble in your prettiest platter. If you are making it for your family then just hold back on the baghaar and sauce, and add them after reheating.
How to Make Singaporean Rice (and not lose your mind)
Here is how I break down the process to make it easier for myself.
- Bring out all your ingredients - you will use items like soy sauce and chilli sauce multiple times so having them handy is a great idea
- Chop ALL the veggies - for the noodles that means peppers, cabbage, etc then garlic and chilies for baghaar and scallions if you'll be using them for garnishing and set aside. I also like to chop my chicken at this point
- Bring two pots of water to a boil and boil your rice and noodles.
- While the noodles boil make the stir fry component of your noodles then add cooked noodles
- Season your rice.
- With two components done now slice the chicken and cook per directions
- If you have time in the middle make the spicy mayo sauce.
- Layer the rice, noodles, chicken, sauce
- Make the baghaar and pour over
- Dig in. Take seconds. You deserve it.
Step by Step Video for Singaporean Rice
Feeling the retro vibes, but not quite this dish? Here are more of our family favourites!
Made this dish? Awesome! Rate it below by clicking the number of stars you want to give it! Also in my book you get 5 for effort!
Singaporean Rice
Ingredients
Rice
- 1 ¼ cup Basmati rice
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp vinegar
Noodles
- 200g spaghetti or chow mein noodles
- 2 cups mixed vegetables - I use 1 cup shredded coleslaw mix and 1 cup mixed sliced peppers
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ boullion cube (optional)
Chicken
- 2 lb chicken, sliced into slim 1-1.5 inch pieces
- 2 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tbsp vinegar
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp cayenne/chili powder
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2-3 tbsp asian style hot sauce
- 2-3 tbsp water
- salt for adjusting seasoning
Baghaar
- 3-4 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
- 2-3 green chilies, thinly sliced
Chili Mayo Sauce
- ¼ cup mayo
- 1-2 tbsp hot sauce
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tsp vinegar
- ½ tsp pepper
- additional cayenne if your hot sauce isn't spicy enough
- a handful of chopped scallions for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Rice
- Boil the rice, drain excess water and stir in soy, pepper, and vinegar
Noodles
- Boil noodles per package directions.
- While they are boiling heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan on medium high heat and add the ginger garlic paste
- After sauteing the ginger garlic paste for 30 seconds add your vegetables and remaining seasonings (including crumbled boullion cube) and saute till tender crisp.
- Add the drained noodles to the vegetable mix. Set aside.
Chicken
- Saute the ginger garlic in hot oil then add the sliced chicken
- Keep the heat on medium high and saute until all the chicken changes colours
- Now add the soy sauce, vinegar, pepper, chili powder, cook for another two minutes
- Stir in the ketchup, hot sauce and water, cook on low for 4-5 minutes. You want a chicken that has a light sauce so neither watery nor dry.
- Taste and adjust seasoning - I usually add ½ tsp of salt.
Chili Mayo Sauce
- Whisk all the ingredients together and set aside
Layering
- Take a large platter/rice dish then spoon out a layer of rice followed by the noodles then the chicken and a drizzle of your sauce (you'll have extra leftover).
Baghaar
- Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a small pan and add garlic cooking on medium heat till golden
- Add your green chilies, they may sputter so be careful as you saute them for 30 seconds
- Carefully spoon your garlic chips and chilies over the dish - you don't need to pour the oil over!
Notes
- Hot sauce: Use your favourite Asian style chilli sauce (sriracha or sambal oelek) or Chilli Garlic Sauce if neither are available. I made it with Sriracha which I really like in this dish
- Spice lover? Add slender sliced green chilies in your chow mein to bring up the heat and a tsp of chili flakes in your chicken
- Carb on Carb too much? Skip one, no problem
- Have stale rice? Absolutely use it here! Warm it stove top with a little soy sauce and pepper
- This recipe serves 4 people but you can easily double it all, but don't need to double the sauce!
I was only recently introduced to Singaporean Rice and am a fan! This dish has definitely never seen Singapore, and I hear its roots are in the Pakistani wedding catering scene from the early 2000s.
Looking forward to trying your recipe!
I am loving learning more about where it came from! It did seem like it appeared out of thin air! Thanks for sharing Lamia
Followed the recipe exactly as is using Siracha and it was a hit!!! Im so glad i finally have a recipe to follow ...will def be making it again! Thank youuu
Thank you Ayesha!!! That's awesome to hear!
Hi, this looks so good. I am planning on trying it out this weekend! I know the suggested serving size is 4 but are these generous servings? Wondering if this will be good for a family of 5?
Thanks,
Samar
Hi Samar!!! I think for a family of five it might be a little tight so I’d play with quantities a little - frankly you can even double it if you’re okay to have leftovers!
Such a great recipe! I've been looking for one for quite some time now!
Yay Amna!!! Thank you!!!!
Hi Sarah,
I have never made singaporean rice, will try this recipe in sha Allah. I had singaporean rice in 2003 in Karachi at a dinner and loved it and I too think it actually appeared in the catering business. I remember it exactly like the recipe you jotted down when your mother asked you to 🙂 but the next time I had them (perhaps a year later) I found boiled noodles in them instead of fried and found mayonaise and ketchup which I dont think was in them when I first had them. So I think the mayonaise, ketchup and boiled noodles were editions to the original recipe.
You may be right! I do feel like this recipe has changed a little over time!
I wish I could give this recipe more than 5 stars! It was so so delicious! The ratio of spices, sauce, carbs, is all so good and it truly is just like how I remembered it to be in Karachi! thanks for another family favourite recipe, Sarah!
Wow! Thank you SO much Areeba! I am beyond touched!